Out of Sound But Not Out of Mind: Career Contacts Needed Nationwide

Getting together to watch Husky football games on TV or enjoy salmon barbecues is great fun for UW alumni around the nation. But just because you don't live in Seattle doesn't mean you can't give something back to your alma mater and help fellow Huskies.

One of the easiest and most meaningful ways you can help is to go to uwalum.com and sign up as a Career Connections contact in the UW Alumni Association's Husky Career Advantage program.

Career Connections is the UWAA's online database of alumni career contacts across the country, available exclusively to UWAA members and students. This winter, the UWAA is launching a more powerful and flexible search engine for users at UWalum.com.

Career Connections contacts offer information about their field and networking referrals to students exploring career directions and to alumni who are searching for a job or contemplating a career change. Contacts are not expected to provide leads for specific jobs or internships. In addition, contacts can set limits on the number of times their information is accessed online.

These volunteers are especially valuable in places like Washington, D.C., where many UW students and graduates move to take internships. These Huskies can benefit from learning more about the local job scene and develop a networking system to share information about career opportunities that are available.

"Having Career Connections contacts in our geographic areas is an incredibly valuable service to alumni living around the country," explains Don Gallagher, manager of Husky Career Advantage. "Moreover, it's a way for UW graduates to be of service to other Huskies where they live."

Career Contacts can help students and alumni who want to move to a certain area get the lay of the land in the job market in a particular city, perhaps offer assistance in job changes, and provide information about their own careers. They do not arrange internships nor help find specific jobs.

If you are interested in becoming a Career Connections contact, go to UWalum.com and click on Husky Career Advantage, then go to Career Connections and Become a Contact.

To access the Career Connections Network, UWAA members and current UW students should go to Husky Career Advantage on UWalum.com and click on Career Connections and then Search Database.